the assignment and the strategic roadmap
indicating how you will execute. Please
note, do not mention the activities at
this point, you are yet to put pen to paper
contractually. including, political interference, so to nil. Ensure a percentage commitment is
mention this early enough. Identifying and paid up before you kick off.
mentioning potential challenges proves to
the client that you are experienced in your
Contract
craft, – a big win!
Finally, put down your reporting schedule
as well as a clear costing plan. In certain
cases especially when dealing with
SME’s, the proposal could be used as
the contractual document, so it could be
prudent to provide a point for signatures.
Established organizations have their own
template for contracts. Costing
Negotiating Table
When invited to negotiate with the client,
make them understand your delivery style.
Use the opportunity to elaborate further,
the unexpected tides of change that could
affect execution and give suggestions
of your nautical skills to sail past them.
A myriad of issues in your operating
environment could affect your delivery
Costing the assignment is key and it needs
careful thought to it. Ensuring that your
time and any costs that will be incurred in
the execution are taken care off. This is an
area in negotiations that as a consultant
you need to tactfully bring out your A -
game.
It is ideal to break down your costs per
milestone, as opposed to presenting an
overall figure which your client will always
negotiate downwards. You can negotiate
further to have a certain percentage paid
upon completion of each milestone. Note
that, in most cases when no commitment is
placed on the table, high chances payment
upon completion of the assignment is next
Most consultants overlook carefully reading
through the fine print. Read through and
ensure it works to your favor and that your
proposition on the payment schedule is
included. Most of the big establishments
have their own templates for contracts. If
you identify any sticky issues, pass by your
legal advisors to review before you sign.
Execution
Once you have the notch on your belt and
are ready to kick off the project, prepare a
work plan which should be agreeable with
your client. Most importantly stick to it.
A Big Don’t
As William A Cohen, an established
consultant and author of ‘how to make it
big as a consultant,’ rightly puts it, never
tell anyone how you outsmarted anyone else
in negotiations. Boasting can come back to
haunt you!
As William further explains, ‘Donald Trump
is said to have sold Merv Griffin a Casino
for hundreds of millions of dollars. Trump
even went on live TV saying out loud how
he had taken Griffin to the cleaners. Not
too long afterwards, Trump went bankrupt.
Did one event have anything to do with
the other? We can bet that if Merv Griffin
had an opportunity to return the favor and
renegotiate the deal through his influence
in another situation, you could have bet he
would have done so. No one wants to feel
taken advantage of, certainly not publicly.’
The effort and preparation you put in
preparing for a pitch, should in equal
measure be put in running through the
follow-ups and eventually the assignment.
Any communications consultant worth
their salt ought to be a great negotiator.
Janet is a Communications Consultant and
Lead Brand Strategist at LCC Africa, a
boutique PR firm that offers 360 degrees
Communications Services. You can commune
with her via mail on [email protected]